If you are used to an older version of Windows, I would say avoid anything with Windows 8 on it. Most of them do come with Windows 8 at the moment - including the one I bought for doing my PhD - but I would say it is well worth looking around for something with Windows 7 instead. If you don't know about Windows 8's reputation a quick Google will suffice :-) Apart from all the major problems with it, it doesn't come with any form of Office package so you'd find yourself having to buy that separately.

My commute to uni is a 4.5 hour round trip, but I'm not required to be there every day. I did hope originally that the travel time could be used productively, but it hasn't really worked out that way due to busy/noisy trains, having a change of train and so on. I only go into uni about once a week. It's definitely worth speaking to your supervisor and reaching some kind of agreement about how often you'll be there.

Thanks everyone for your input - it has really given me food for thought. I've had a look at previous abstracts for this particular conference, and every last one of them is structured into methods/results/conclusions, making me think there is no way they will accept an abstract based on a proposal. My supervisor, however, thinks it's a good idea to submit something anyway. The deal regarding funding is that the uni will only pay if we're presenting, so I guess he is seeing it as a way for me to get the experience of attending a large conference. I just don't see how I will be accepted at this stage, though. I have the feeling that the only thing for it is to go through the motions, produce an abstract, run it past my supervisor and submit it if he's happy with it, while not personally having any expectation that it will be accepted.

They can't discriminate on the grounds of you having children.

There was a 21-year gap between my BSc and my PhD (not child-related) and I wasn't asked to account for all that time! As Huxley said, it's the quality of your application, your skills, how well your research ideas fit with the department and so on that they will consider.

I've just heard from him now, Simon - he thinks it is fine to submit an outline at this stage and says it won't matter too much that the research will be 'work in progress' at the time of the conference.

Yes, the focus on money and security can be very important to parents (I don't think my mum ever quite forgave me for giving up my first full-time job when I was 25 - a poorly paid admin job but it came with the all-important pension!) I can understand it too, having seen both my parents go through periods of unemployment when I was growing up and having had a couple of periods without work myself. It makes complete sense that there's an element of 'What is he/she up to now?' when we go off and start something as uncertain and risky as a PhD, and they want to focus on whether or not we're still feeding ourselves :-)

Just a maximum 300 words abstract at this stage, HazyJane.

That makes sense and I'd definitely be glad to start small! The conference I'm looking at is a major one and the recommendation to submit has come from my supervisor, so I've emailed him with my concerns about having nothing really to present. The last thing I want to do is start with a bad experience and looking like a nitwit!

I think Ian's right, in that people take an interest in the bits of your life that have implications for them personally. For my folks, interest in my PhD largely involves questions like, 'Are you managing to get some paid work as well?', because the bit that matters most to them is that I'm off my head for going back to being a student at 43! My sister-in-law, on the other hand, has done a PhD herself, so she's interested in asking about my experience and giving me words of wisdom from her own.

It came as a shock to me at first to realise that I was turning my life upside down over a thing that no-one else even wanted to know about, but I've accepted it now - the folks will be there for me if I need help, but if I want to talk PhDs then I go to someone else who's doing one or has done one already.

Thanks for your advice. To be honest, I'd be more than happy not to submit anything to conferences until I'm further on, but the expectation is coming from my department. I had always pictured conferences and presentations coming much later in the process.

I'm submitting an abstract for a conference which will be later this year. At this stage, I haven't started any research, so all I have to go on is my proposal, but the research should be underway by the time of the conference.

I just wondered how others handled this in their 1st year. Is it best to write an abstract that's clearly just talking about a proposal, or should it be a bit more vague, to take into account the fact that I'll hopefully have some preliminary data to mention by the time the conference comes around?

Any advice gratefully received!

Hi
I tried to complete your survey, but you have a compulsory question about 'job level' and it doesn't have an option for 'student', so I suspect that only those members of the forum who are not students will be able to complete it.

Did the professor feel that your Masters didn't have enough research in it? Just wondering because of the comment about getting substantial research experience from an MPhil. If you've already done a Masters with a research component then yes, the MPhil would feel like overlap. I can understand why you're upset, although also bear in mind that the professor has told you he/she thinks you're capable but just wants you to develop your experience a bit first, for whatever reason.

I'd be surprised if you need to do a lot to overhaul your proposal for this. I know all departments are different, but my experience is that there is a huge amount of room for any proposal to be redeveloped once you start anyway, as it needs to be informed by a literature review, which you haven't had time to do at this stage. Of course, some projects are set out by the department right from the start so the student has little chance to change them, but if you're allowed to set your own proposal then you get to develop and re-focus it anyway.

I think it depends on how you like to work as well. I have a desk at uni, but it's in a room with about 20 other PhD students. I'm not there that often as it is a lengthy commute, but I wouldn't choose to do my reading and writing there anyway. I'm studying Psychology so my first year may be similar to yours - loads of reading, writing, planning and thinking. I find that my work at home is worth about ten times my work in the communal office for these activities. I don't have a separate study at home, but I do benefit from having the place to myself during weekdays.

Hi Mercury
What kind of job are you looking for? There are plenty of jobs that don't require postgraduate qualifications, and your PGDip may help you to have an edge over applicants who just have an undergraduate degree. Unless you are talking about academic jobs, it is unlikely that most employers will want to see an academic transcript - your PGDip certificate will be enough. It really depends on your field and the type of job you're looking for.